Von Miller (58) of the Denver Broncos sacks Tom Brady (12) of the New England Patriots in the third quarter. The Denver Broncos played the New England Patriots in the AFC championship game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver on Jan. 24, 2016.

The crowd had vanished into the crowded streets of honking horns and throaty screams. The locker room was swept, but for a lonely white glove and athletic tape strewn in patches. At 6:45 p.m., Peyton Manning walked off Sports Authority Field and through the north end zone. He glanced down at a mess at his feet.

Manning picked up pieces of blue and orange confetti, turned around and stared at the Jumbotron: Next Game: Super Bowl 50.

The sting of injuries and age pained Manning for two months. The insults to the defensive players roiled in their bellies for weeks. Until Sunday night. In Manning’s potential final dance at home, the defense made a last stand, dethroning the New England Patriots, 20-18, in the AFC championship game.

The Broncos, a team that navigated a quarterback transition, stayed patient with an inconsistent offense, and weathered a depleted secondary, will face the Carolina Panthers for the Vince Lombardi Trophy on Feb. 7. It represents the Broncos’ eighth Super Bowl, but their first defined by a bloody-knuckled toughness since the original Orange Crush.

“There is no question this is a sweet day, a sweet victory,” said Manning, who, at 39, will be the oldest quarterback to start a Super Bowl. “To me this is a great example of what this entire season has been like, with a lot of different people stepping up.”

It wasn’t easy. Before the Broncos could book flights to Santa Clara’s Levi’s Stadium, they had to grab the Patriots by the throat, then hold on, stopping a nerve-rattling two-point conversion to return to the sport’s biggest stage for the second time in three years.

“We are here. We are back,” outside linebacker Von Miller said. “It’s because of all of us.”

The last time Denver sauntered into the Super Bowl, the Seattle Seahawks boxed their ears. This time, the Broncos are the Seahawks, owning the league’s top-ranked defense. Denver validated the ranking with a finish suited for the ages. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, battered from absorbing 20 hits and four sacks, shaved the Broncos’ deficit to 20-18 in the final seconds after two headshaking completions to tight end Rob Gronkowski.

New England lined up for a two-point conversion, required after kicker Stephen Gostkowski missed a first-quarter extra point, his first since 2006, leaving him feeling, “sick and terrible.” Two Patriots receivers shifted out wide right. The formation suggested a pick with Julian Edelman slicing inside. It was not unlike the play that Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler sniffed out to win Super Bowl 49. Denver defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, arguably the club’s best offseason addition, decided on a plan without hesitation.

“We were bringing the heat. The all-out blitz,” cornerback Chris Harris said. “This has been our go-to call. We have won on that call all year.”

Talib processed the information, and entered a vacuum of focus. Wild pressure meant one thing: The ball was coming out quickly. Talib read Brady’s eyes, and darted into Edelman’s path, tipping the football into cornerback Bradley Roby’s hands. Game over. Pepto-Bismol shots all around.

“Just a great, great win today,” general manager John Elway said. “I think I’ve aged 20 years in the last five weeks.”

Coach Gary Kubiak preached all season for the Broncos to perform for each other. Reaching this goal required a motivation greater than self. Everyone, he insisted, would be needed, isn’t that right safeties Josh Bush and Shiloh Keo? Outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware reminded them of the dream in a Saturday night motivational speech.

“You want this for guys like him,” veteran defensive tackle Antonio Smith said. “My words always tumble out, and I don’t even know what to say.”

The Broncos played angry and resilient, feeling slighted from the coin toss when the Patriots won and elected to receive.

Patriots boss Bill Belichick is known as part coach, part couch. The mind games already had begun, and the decision represented a miscalculation. New England’s offense exited after five plays, and defensive end Derek Wolfe’s punishing hit on Brady on third down sent a message that resonated on a sunlit 46-degree afternoon.

“The Patriots were in our path,” known Patriots hater Wolfe said. “It was time to push them out of the way.”

The Broncos mixed their coverages, created pressure with inside stunts and turned Miller loose (2.5 sacks and an interception). Manning countered offensively with aggression. His legacy is preparation and film study. The Broncos were ready, dusting off seldom-used tight end routes. For the first time this season, Manning directed a touchdown drive on the Broncos’ opening possession. Looking his healthiest in months, Manning posted a 103.8 quarterback rating at intermission and finished 17-of-32 for 176 yards and no turnovers for a third consecutive game. He threw two touchdown passes to Owen Daniels, who caught all three of Manning’s home touchdown passes this season.

“We knew if they gave us a look we were expecting,” said Daniels, who wore out linebacker Jamie Collins in man coverage, “there would be a chance to make plays.”

Brady completed but nine first-half passes, lacking his laser accuracy while forced to hold onto the ball longer than comfortable. It mattered because the Patriots never have won a playoff game while trailing at halftime, and dug themselves a 17-9 deficit.

“We were happy we were still in the game. We could never play on our own terms,” said Brady, who dropped to 1-3 against Manning in championship games and remained winless on the road. “It was an uphill battle.”

The fourth quarter illustrated the Broncos’ jarring transformation under Kubiak over the past 12 months. Last January, Elway indicted the playoff effort, which hastened coach John Fox’s exit, declaring he wanted a team that would go out “kicking and screaming.” Last week, he said this year’s edition was “tougher.”

The Broncos required a balled fist and an iron gut to survive a final onslaught worthy of the defending champions. Denver managed only 83 yards and four first downs in the second half. Kicker Brandon McManus’ 31-yard fourth-quarter field goal represented the only drip of points.

“Of course we hoped to do more. We know we need to improve,” said running back C.J. Anderson, who led all rushers with 72 yards. “But this is what our defense wanted. They are the best on the planet. They wanted it in their hands.”

As the fans’ knuckles turned shades of white, the Broncos showed elasticity, and never lost their grip. They delivered critical stops without safeties T.J. Ward (sprained ankle) and safety Darian Stewart (sprained knee). So depleted were the Broncos that Harris moved to safety in the dime package in the fourth quarter.

A celebration appeared ready to trigger when the Patriots faced a fourth-and-10 with 1:34 left. Brady sidestepped pressure and heaved a ball in Gronkowski’s direction. With Harris and Bush in coverage, he hauled in a 40-yard completion.

“I couldn’t believe he caught it,” cornerback Bradley Roby said.

With 17 seconds left on fourth-and-4, Gronkowski leaped over Harris for a touchdown, with the tight end admitting he just drew it up in the dirt, “and had to go up and do something.”

One more play to force overtime was needed. Brady stared across the line, but couldn’t fool his former teammate Talib. The deflection brought reflection.

Two hours later, Manning stood in the mouth of the tunnel, posing for a picture. He could live in this snapshot forever. Or at least two weeks.

“It is special,” Manning said. “It’s not something you ever take for granted. You enjoy it and soak it up.”

Troy is a former Denver Broncos and Colorado Rockies beat writer for The Denver Post. He joined the news organization in 2002 as the Rockies' beat writer and became a Broncos beat writer in 2014 before assuming the lead role ahead of the 2015 season. He left The Post in 2015.

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